Street-cleaning machine



Nov. 10, 1959 P. VON ARX 2,911,737

STREET-CLEANING MACHINE F iled Jan. 10, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 PAUL vo/v ARX I INVEA/TDR Bv M/MM WWW ATTORNEYS 1959 P. VON ARX 2,911,737

STREET-CLEANING MACHINE PA UL vo/v ARX I NVEA/7'0R BY M/ZM ,MVFW% ATTORNE KS Nam 10, 1959 P. VON ARX 2,911,737

STREET-CLEANING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1955 4 Shets-Sheet 3 PAUL vo/v ARX INVENTOR Afro/mm Nov. 10, 1959 P. VON ARX STREET-CLEANING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 10, 1955 RN H N M M MM W n H M W V B r' V 2,911,737 1C6 Patented Nov. 10, 1959 STREET-CLEANING. MACHINE 1 Claim. 01.. 3142.

My present invention relates to an improved roadcleaning machine which, in particular, may be used as a rotarysnow plow.

Known. rotary snow plows operate on the principle of plowing or milling and have the disadvantage that they are incapable of removing tight-frozen layers from onehalf to one inch in thickness. The remaining dangerous snow and ice layer or crust has to be removed by tedious and time consuming. hand work. Said disadvantages shall be remedied in accordance with. the present invention.

The street cleaning machine and rotary snow plow according to the present invention comprises a plurality of tools which are rotatable about a horizontal axle, and is distinguished by the improvement that each of said tools is coupled to a shaft which extends in parallel relation with said axle and is rotatable aboutthe same. All of the said shafts are subjected to the action of a control member and swivel about their own axes during their rotation so that the tools always point in the same direction.

Suitably a shovel may be disposed in the range of the rotary tools, through which the material dislocated by the tools may be fed to a conveyer.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the machine, partly in vertical section,

Fig. 2 is a side view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a constructional detail shown on a larger scale,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, the tools having been omitted,

Fig. 4 is a front view of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 in which, however, the chopping tools of Figs. 1 to 4 have been replaced by brushing tools, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the mounting of the tools on the shafts.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the machine comprises a frame 27 in which is journaled a horizontal axle 1 which at each end carries a disc 2. The two discs 2 are fixed to axle 1 and are interconnected by shafts 3. The latter are spaced at equal distances on the periphery of the discs 2. In the embodiment shown there are provided four such connecting shafts 3 which are journaled in the lateral discs 2 and at one end are attached through links 30 to a common control member 7. The latter is formed as a spider and mounted on axle 1 eccentrically with respect to the discs 2.

The control spider 7 is mounted on a disc 6 which is welded to frame 27. The axle 1, side discs 2 and connecting shafts 3 together form a reel-like cage which is driven through a bevel gear 25 which coacts with a ring gear 28. On each of the connecting shafts 3 are disposed in juxtaposition six pairs of linkages, one of these linkages being illustrated on a larger scale in Fig. 2. With each pair of linkages is associated an operating tool 13. The arrangement of these tools 13 with regard to the shafts 3 is shown in the front view according to Fig. 4, whereas in Fig. 3 these linkagesand'tool's 13 have been omitted for the sake of simplicity. Each linkage comprisesa bellcrank 4 which is rigidly mounted on. the respective. shaft 3. A link 29 is pivoted to one arm of lever 4, the other arm thereof being connected to a tool holder 5, by means of a fraction: spring 111 which draws the latter against. a stop 12 welded to link 29.. The. upper end of the tool holder 5 which is in an upright position is pivoted. tothe corresponding end of link 29. This link 29 is subjected to the action of a traction. spring 311, one end of which is connected to'the' same arm of bell-crank. 4- as spring. 11. To-the other endof spring 31- is connected a threaded pin 9b extending througha lateral stop 9 welded to the. link 29, the threaded end portion of the pin 9b carrying a winged nut 92: allowing to adjust the tensioning force of spring 3 1 (Figs. 4 and 5 show a front elevation. of the stops 9, the threaded pins 912 and the winged nut only for the tools onthe extreme left hand end of the figure.) Each pair of tool holders 5: carries a chopper blade 13 which follows the movements of the. tool holders.

Each pair of the spring urged linkages forms a guide assembly which always maintains the tool holders, including the. chopper blade 13 fixed to them, in an upright operating position as shown in Fig. 1. To achieve this the end of the shafts 3 corresponding. to the control spider 7 carry a link 30 fixed thereto and pivoted at its other end by means of a pin 34 to the respective arm of said spider 7. Thus when the reel-like cage assembly formed by the side discs 2 and the connecting shafts is rotating together with the control spider 7 the effect of the links 30 will be to maintain the shafts 3 which are journaled in the side discs 2 in substantially the same relative position with regard to the latter during the rotation of said assembly. This means that all the linkage assemblies together with their chopper blades 30 will remain in the upright position as shown in Fig. 1.

In the direction of movement immediately to the rear of the rotating tools 13, is disposed a shovel 14 the forward edge of which contacts the ground. Shovel 14 has two links 15 by which it is mounted on a holder 16 which forms parts of a vehicle accommodating the road cleaning machine. Shovel 14 is resiliently held in position by a spring 15a which connects the point of articulation of the upper link 15 on shovel .14 with the point of articulation of the other link 15 on holder 16. On the upper end of shovel 14 is formed a trough in which is accommodated a screw conveyor 17. The latter extends across the entire width of the machine and at one end is driven from a power shaft (not shown) by a drive gear 24.

Both ends of the screw conveyer 17 communicate with channels 20 which comprise at least one adjustable wall 22 pivoted on a pin 22. The other end of wall 22 is subjected to the influence of a regulating screw 21 by means of which the inclination of wall 22 may be adjusted with respect to the longitudinal direction of the channels 20. In this manner, the cross-section of the channel may be varied so that the material moving through the channel may be more or less compacted and formed in accordance with the position of the pivotable When axle 1 rotates, the tool holders 5 and the tools are rotated about axle 1, maintaining their substantially vertical position. On rotation of the tools 13, the snow bank or layer is loosened and fed to shovel 14. As the lower edges of the tools 13 slide along the surface of shovel 14, the snow to the rear of the tools 13 is moved on shovel 14 towards the conveyer 17 which feeds the snow further through the channels 20 on to the conveyor belts 23.

The machine described may be used not only for snow removal but also for other purposes, Since the tools are exchangeably mounted in their holders, the chopper blades 13 may be replaced by other tools. Fig. 5 shows an arrangement in which brushes 26 are mounted in the tool holders 5. These brushes may be used for the removal of leaves in the fall season.

A further possibility is that chisels may be disposed in the tool holders which are spring-loaded, for the purpose of toughening smooth street surfaces or coats.

The machine shown and described may be mounted on the chassis of a vehicle per se or in the form of an attachment to a motor vehicle of known construction. In adaptation to the various uses for which the ma chine may be employed, an infinitely variable gear may be provided for the purpose of varying the rotary speed of axle 1.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a street cleaning machine having a horizontal axle,

a plurality of shafts parallel to each other and to said axle and rotatable round said axle, control means for said shafts for moving said shafts around their own axes during their rotation about said axle so that they remain in the same relative positions during such rotation, a conveyer, and a shovel positioned to receive material picked up and guide it to said conveyor, that improvement comprising a plurality of tool holding means, at least one fixed on each of said shafts, and each comprising a bell crank fixed at its center to one of said shafts, an arm having one end pivoted on the one end of said bell crank, a tool holder pivotally depending from the other end of said arm, a tool removably mounted in said tool holder, a first tension spring between said arm and the other end of said bell crank, a second tension spring'between said tool holder and the other end of said bell crank, anda stop between said arm and saidtool holder holding said arm and said tool holder againstmovement towardeach other beyond a givenangular position.

References Cited file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 987,577 Kerrinnes Mar. 21, 1911 1,374,195 Fumari Apr. 12, 1921 1,523,012 Gettelman Jan. 13, 1925 1,708,376 Cook Apr. 9, 1929 2,041,208 Rienks May 19, 1936 2,198,237 Vooderman Apr. 23, '1940 2,514,561 Scranton July 11, 1950 2,545,470 Kear Mar. 20, 1951 2,610,414 Vanvick Sept. 16, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,541 Great Britain July 2, 1877 454,349 Canada Jan. 25, 1949 

